英语论文网

, bilabial or not, and plosive or not). The oppositions in different phonemes can distinguish different phonemes in any cases.
2. The Causes of Neutralization of English Consonants
Phonemes are capable of distinguishing between different words because they themselves are different from one another. The Prague School linguists noticed that some phonological oppositions are effective in all contexts and some are effective only in certain contexts. For the latter type, it is called neutralizable opposition. Physiological factors contribute to the main reason of neutralization. The true reason why the difference between two phonemes of phonological opposition disappears is that in the real pronunciation, the place of articulation of one phonemes of the two has changed. For instance, in the word sky, voiceless [k] is neutralized, and thus it has the same pronunciation as voiced [g].
The reason is that both [k] and [g] are velar plosives. In the production of those two words, the back of the tongue should be pushed tightly against the soft palate, which obstructs the air stream temporarily. When the closure in the oral tract is suddenly released, the compressed air rushes out explosively. The subtle difference is that [k] is voiceless with more air rushing out, while [g] is voiced with less air rushing out. Before [k] is an alveolar fricative [s]. In the production of [s], the front of the tongue al-most obstructs the air tract, which will make the air-stream pass only through a narrow tract over the front of the tongue. Obviously, in the production of [s], it is necessary to release the airstream to produce a plosive.
The production of [k] immediately after [s] will be influenced by it, and the air-stream is partially obstructed. That makes [k] much the same as [g], with less air rushing out. Moreover, a vowel follows after [k], which also makes [k] voiced with less air rushing out. This also makes [k] much the same as [g] in the production. In other words, the distinctive features between [k] and [g], such as voiced or voiceless, just disappear. As a result, neutralization occurs.
3. Conclusion
To sum up, when a contrast that is normally made in a language is not marked, this is called neutralization. In English, neutralization of consonants occurs in consonant clusters of two and three. According to what we have discussed, it exists in only thirteen English consonant clusters, among a large number of consonant clusters. The thirteen consonant clusters are as follows: [sp], [st], [sk], [sf], [spl], [spr], [spj], [str], [stj], [skl], [skr], [skw], [skj].
References:
[1] Bolinger D,Sears D A.Aspects of Language[M].New York:Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,Inc,1981.
[2] Robins R H.General Linguistics [M].Bloomington & London: Indiana University Press, https://www.51lunwen.org/ 1966:155.
[3] Fisher H B.Improving Voice and Articulation [M].U.S.A.: Northwestern University,1975:281.
[4] Cafrord J C.A Practical Introduction to Phonetics [M].Oxford: Clarendon Press,1989:208本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。